A total of 16 BMS students attended the regional competition at FLC two months ago, and six of them — five 8th-graders and one 6th-grader — claimed first place honors by winning their respective divisions. Those students all qualified to compete at the State Science Fair that was held April 3-5 at Colorado State University.
“They were all winners there as well!” exclaimed Kris McSweeney, the BMS Math and Science teacher who accompanied the students.
A pair of 8th-graders, Silas Morrison and Aidan Tipton, claimed NOAA's 2025 Taking the Pulse of the Planet Award.
Fellow 8th-graders Calvin Nabors and Quin Dempsie each secured a medal and secured a cash prize for winning the 2025 Naval Science Award.
Sammy Maloney, another 8th-grader, won the Advancing Equity Through Innovation Award presented by Thermo Fisher, which earned him $200 and a subscription to American Psychological Association.
Ava Boblitt, a 6th-grader, received $300 and a sample mineral prize after claiming a specialty award from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.
The success certainly ignited an interest in the students who participated in the fairs this year. McSweeney reported that the 8th-graders who won will be attending Bayfield High School in the fall, and are already working on their regional and state fair projects for next year. High school students have a chance to move on to the National Science Fair that is held in Ohio each May if they win at regional and state events, and this year’s middle school winners are hoping to repeat their success at the high school level.